So disappointed with Virgin Holidays

[catherine]

I am so angry and disappointed with Virgin Holidays!! We have always used them for our flights and fly drives, but if their customer service doesn't get it's act together then I will never book with them again! Long story short we booked a fly drive for myself, DH and myself for next year. However due to unforeseen circumstances we wanted to change the flight. So I contacted Virgin to see if we could amend our booking by removing the flight and getting a larger car. I got an e-mail back from a customer service rep. saying that he's looked into it and yes we could amend the booking and just have the car and all that we needed to do was pay the amendment fee. So I went ahead (3 weeks after the e-mail) and changed our flight and e-mailed Virgin with the changes that we wanted to make. After several days I received an e-mail from another customer service rep. saying that the info. that I'd been given was wrong and basically I would have to cancel the booking and lose the deposit! So I am now waiting for a phone call from a supervisor which will be sometime within the next 24 hours!!

 

[MarkF0wle]

We just changed a holiday with Virgin Holidays.

We too had to cancel the holiday & re-book. But what they did was book a second holiday as what we were asking for & we had to pay a second deposit. They then cancelled our original booking & transferred the deposit we paid on that booking into the new holiday. So although we got no refund we didn't lose any money. We had to pay the amendment fees; they also price matched our holiday with WDW website on the new booking too.

Overall is was a convoluted process but the people we worked with were brilliant. I don't think you'll lose money but they may ask you to pay another deposit.

 

[2Tiggies]

I had this with WDTC a few years ago (some on here may remember) and it came down to the fact that it was a package holiday with flights included. Also given wrong info as posted by you only to discover after the fact (and after paying a lot more than just the amendment fee) that I was stuck with my 'change' but nothing had changed.

I made a huge stink about it and many letters and emails later, they eventually compensated me when I referred to their own terms and conditions (and made a few threats about publicising it all with a date on which I proposed to do so). But in a nutshell, as soon as it includes flights it becomes a major headache to change anything which is the main reason, over and above the cost factor, why I only do DIY now. Ironically, at the time WDTC flight inclusive was being handled by VH and that's who I dealt with.

I can only suggest that you get your facts, find out what your rights and obligations are and what VH's are and work from that. I hope you get it sorted out

 

[catherine]

We just changed a holiday with Virgin Holidays.

We too had to cancel the holiday & re-book. But what they did was book a second holiday as what we were asking for & we had to pay a second deposit. They then cancelled our original booking & transferred the deposit we paid on that booking into the new holiday. So although we got no refund we didn't lose any money. We had to pay the amendment fees; they also price matched our holiday with WDW website on the new booking too.

Overall is was a convoluted process but the people we worked with were brilliant. I don't think you'll lose money but they may ask you to pay another deposit.

The customer service person that I spoke with told me that I would have to cancel the booking and make another booking but I would lose the £525 deposit! If they'd told me upfront that I couldn't make the amendment and would have to cancel the booking and lose the deposit I would've handled it differently.

 

[scottish mum]

Do you still have the original email stating that you could change for an amendment fee?

If so then I don't see how they can now turn round and change it, they made a mistake but its shouldn't be at a cost to you

Hope you get it sorted

 

[catherine]

Do you still have the original email stating that you could change for an amendment fee?

If so then I don't see how they can now turn round and change it, they made a mistake but its shouldn't be at a cost to you

Hope you get it sorted

Yes. I've still got it. I'm hoping that when I eventually get to speak with a supervisor that It will all be sorted. The customer service guy who I spoke with this evening kept telling me that I was right and that he agreed with me! I don't see how the customer can be liable for the misinformation given by Virgin's employees.

 

[2Tiggies]

Yes. I've still got it. I'm hoping that when I eventually get to speak with a supervisor that It will all be sorted. The customer service guy who I spoke with this evening kept telling me that I was right and that he agreed with me! I don't see how the customer can be liable for the misinformation given by Virgin's employees.

Was that just a staff member, i.e. not a manager or supervisor?

Here's what you do (if you dont want to repeat the same old story over and over and over at your own cost to staff who do not have the authority and probably don't have the knowledge required in any event to help you out).

You ring them again. Be very polite but very firm. When your call is taken you tell them:

"Please don't take this personally, but you cannot help me and I don't want to go through my whole story again, so please put me through to your supervisor. They WILL try and extract info out of you in the hope that they can be the hero. Do not fall for it. Be firm. They are not allowed to end the call and if need be you let them know that you are not putting the phone down until they transfer the call. Even the most long suffering person will eventually put you to a supervisor. When you are transferred, ask for the name and designation of the person you are speaking to, to ensure that you have not been fobbed off to another call centre rep.

I would found on the email received and use that as a basis for the argument. Be polite at all times but keep a no nonsense tone so that they know they are dealing with a reasonable person, but one who is not going to go away until happy or until at the very least, some sort of reasonable solution has been agreed on.

I've had it with inconsistencies and incorrect information given and if you're prepared to fight it to the bitter end, you almost always come up a winner. I didn't get my way when I fought WDTC - but I did get reimbursed for my upgrade fee and compensation of several hundred pounds. I was also issued with a 'courtesy copy' of their 'updated terms and conditions' a few months later which were amended to reword and add in wording in relation to the inconclusive clause I had founded upon in my dispute with them. Go get 'em tiger

 

[crabbie1]

Was that just a staff member, i.e. not a manager or supervisor?

Here's what you do (if you dont want to repeat the same old story over and over and over at your own cost to staff who do not have the authority and probably don't have the knowledge required in any event to help you out).

You ring them again. Be very polite but very firm. When your call is taken you tell them:

"Please don't take this personally, but you cannot help me and I don't want to go through my whole story again, so please put me through to your supervisor. They WILL try and extract info out of you in the hope that they can be the hero. Do not fall for it. Be firm. They are not allowed to end the call and if need be you let them know that you are not putting the phone down until they transfer the call. Even the most long suffering person will eventually put you to a supervisor. When you are transferred, ask for the name and designation of the person you are speaking to, to ensure that you have not been fobbed off to another call centre rep.

I would found on the email received and use that as a basis for the argument. Be polite at all times but keep a no nonsense tone so that they know they are dealing with a reasonable person, but one who is not going to go away until happy or until at the very least, some sort of reasonable solution has been agreed on.

I've had it with inconsistencies and incorrect information given and if you're prepared to fight it to the bitter end, you almost always come up a winner. I didn't get my way when I fought WDTC - but I did get reimbursed for my upgrade fee and compensation of several hundred pounds. I was also issued with a 'courtesy copy' of their 'updated terms and conditions' a few months later which were amended to reword and add in wording in relation to the inconclusive clause I had founded upon in my dispute with them. Go get 'em tiger

Excellent. Xxx i agree. After my experience with the other halfwits VA after 4 weeks they eventually gave me vouchers. I did take their advice abd cancel though only to be told I should not have. Just keep onto them. I feel VA/VH customer service has gone right down. Good luck in sorting it out

 

[gemmybear83]

I would write on their Facebook wall, the customer service I had through their social media team was fantastic and they reply very quickly

Good luck

 

[catherine]

Thanks for all the words of encouragement and advice! I'll be speaking to a supervisor today whether they phone me or I have to once again phone them.

Before I contacted VH I looked at their T&Cs and the section about amending a booking was not at all clear that's why I e-mailed them for some clarification!

I was going to post on their FB page but I thought that I would wait and see what the supervisor has to say

 

[catherine]

I just had a call from the Virgin customer rep. who I spoke with last night, he said that I could amend the booking and just book the car and it would cost me £885 (including £70 amendment fee) Considering the car costs £462 I wanted to know what the £353 difference was for! Anyway after he waffled on for a few minutes he agrees to let me speak with a supervisor. Anyway after I explained the situation he couldn't figure out what the £353 was for and he couldn't change the price on the system. Anyway long story story he agreed to refund my deposit to my account and cancel the booking!! I was very clear with the supervisor that I didn't want to cancel the booking if it meant losing the booking and he assured me that the money would be refunded. he said that it should be back in my account by Mon. so I'll let you know!!

 

[PJB71]

Glad to hear you've got it sorted - hopefully

 

[catherine]

Glad to hear you've got it sorted - hopefully

Thanks!
I've had a confirmation e-mail from them saying that they're going to refund the money back onto my card, so hopefully that's sorted!

 

[catherine]

Just wanted to let you guys know that I did get my deposit refunded to my account!

 

[tashasmum]

Glad you got your money back so quickly. Still waiting for mine after 8 weeks for duty free we pre ordered.

 

[catherine]

Glad you got your money back so quickly. Still waiting for mine after 8 weeks for duty free we pre ordered.

I think that in the end the supervisor just got fed up of listening to me!

 

[PJB71]

Great news